History Film / Hopscotch

* AntiHero: Kendig is extremely selfish and reckless, but he's such a MagnificentBastard, and Myerson is such a {{Jerkass}}, that the audience ends up on his side.

** The character Follett is a good-natured jab at fellow author Ken Follett.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: One of the embarrassing secrets that Kendig reveals in his memoirs was an attempt to kill Fidel Castro with a tampered cigar. While it's uncertain as to whether or not it was ever actually tried, the CIA ''did'' float that idea as a possible method of assassination when they were thinking up various ways to kill Castro back in the sixties.

* MrSmith: Myerson introduces himself and Joe as Smith and Jones while trying to bully Kendig's publisher. The publisher dryly says, "You must be Myerson," in response.

This UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era espionage comedy stars Creator/WalterMatthau as Miles Kendig, a UsefulNotes/{{CIA}} field agent who is {{Kicked Upstairs}} after refusing to [[DeadlyEuphemism terminate]] his Soviet counterpart, an affable [[UsefulNotes/MoscowCentre KGB]] [[IncrediblyLamePun operator]] named Yaskov (Creator/HerbertLom). His boss, Myerson (Creator/NedBeatty), is the immature bureaucrat who does the kicking — and [[ClusterFBomb screaming]].

This UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era espionage comedy stars Creator/WalterMatthau as Miles Kendig, a CIA field agent who is {{Kicked Upstairs}} after refusing to [[DeadlyEuphemism terminate]] his Soviet counterpart, an affable [[IncrediblyLamePun operator]] named Yaskov (Creator/HerbertLom). His boss, Myerson (Creator/NedBeatty), is the immature bureaucrat who does the kicking — and [[ClusterFBomb screaming]].

Rather than ride a desk for the next few years, Kendig decides to write and publish his memoirs, including thirty years' worth of embarrassing state secrets. Aided by his lover Isobel (Glenda Jackson) and hunted by his protégé Joe Cutter (Creator/SamWaterston), Kendig skips around the globe as both the CIA and KGB race to apprehend him... or kill him.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: One of the embarrassing secrets that Kendig reveals in his memoirs was an attempt to kill Fidel Castro with an exploding cigar. While it's uncertain as to whether or not it was ever actually tried, the CIA ''did'' float that idea as a possible method of assassination when they were thinking up various ways to kill Castro back in the sixties.

* RetiredBadass: Isobel, who left the CIA some years ago when the work got dirty. She's eminently capable of predicting their tricks and fending them off.

* BadBoss: Myerson. At the start, he summons Kendig to his office and then ''calls Mrs. Myerson'' to discuss a trivial matter when Kendig tries to explain why he didn't arrest Yaskov, before brushing off the (actually rather sensible from a long-term counterintelligence perspective) explanation and then [[ReassignedToAntarctica transferring him to records]]. When Kendig starts sending chapters out, Myerson immediately decides to kill him rather than simply arresting him.

'''Myerson:''' [looks uncomfortable and presses the elevator button]

* BadBoss: Myerson. At the start, he summons Kendig to his office and then ''calls Mrs. Myerson'' to discuss a trivial matter when Kendig tries to explain why he didn't arrest Yaskov, before brushing off the explanation and then [[ReassignedToAntarctica transferring him to records]]. When Kendig starts sending chapters out, Myerson immediately decides to kill him rather than simply arresting him.

* {{Phone Trace Race}}: Subverted. Kendig teases the tracing technicians until they discover that he is living in their boss's summer house.

* SirSwearsALot: Myerson is very foul-mouthed. (This results in a lot of [[{{Bowdlerize}} Bowdlerizing]] of his dialogue when the movie is shown on television.)

The 1980 [[TheFilmoftheBook adaptation]] of the Brian Garfield novel of the same name, co-written by the original author and directed by Ronald Neame.

Rather than ride a desk for the next few years, Kendig decides to write and publish his memoirs, including thirty years' worth of state secrets. Aided by his lover Isobel (Glenda Jackson) and hunted by his protégé Joe Cutter (Creator/SamWaterston), Kendig skips around the globe as the CIA and KGB race to apprehend him.

Rather than ride a desk for the next few years, Kendig decides to write and publish his memoirs, including thirty years' worth of state secrets. Aided by his lover Isobel (Glenda Jackson) and hunted by his protege Joe Cutter (Creator/SamWaterston), Kendig skips around the globe as the CIA and KGB race to apprehend him.

This UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era espionage comedy stars Creator/WalterMatthau as Miles Kendig, a CIA field agent who is {{Kicked Upstairs}} after refusing to [[DeadlyEuphemism terminate]] his Soviet counterpart, an affable [[IncrediblyLamePun operator]] named Yaskov (Creator/HerbertLom). Creator/NedBeatty plays Myerson, the immature bureaucrat who does the kicking — and [[ClusterFBomb screaming]].

The 1980 [[TheFilmoftheBook adaptation]] of the Brian Garfield novel, co-written by the original author and directed by Ronald Neame.

This UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era espionage comedy stars Creator/WalterMatthau as Miles Kendig, a CIA field agent who is {{Kicked Upstairs}} after refusing to [[DeadlyEuphemism terminate]] his Soviet counterpart, an affable [[IncrediblyLamePun operator]] named Yaskov (Creator/HerbertLom). Creator/NedBeatty plays Myerson, the immature bureaucrat who does the kicking — and [[ClusterFBomb screaming]]. Rather than ride a desk for the next few years, Kendig decides to write and publish his memoirs, including thirty years' worth of state secrets. Aided by his lover Isobel (Glenda Jackson) and hunted by his protege Joe Cutter (Creator/SamWaterston), Kendig skips around the globe as the CIA and KGB race to apprehend him.

* ThatRemindsMeOfASong: For no reason whatsoever, a latter-days-of-disco lounge band with a singer who, let's face it, is ''not'' Creator/DonnaSummer.

This UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era espionage comedy stars Creator/WalterMatthau as Miles Kendig, a CIA field agent who is {{Kicked Upstairs}} after refusing to [[DeadlyEuphemism terminate]] his Soviet counterpart, an affable [[IncrediblyLamePun operator]] named Yaskov (Creator/HerbertLom). Ned Beatty plays Myerson, the immature bureaucrat who does the kicking — and [[ClusterFBomb screaming]]. Rather than ride a desk for the next few years, Kendig decides to write and publish his memoirs, including thirty years' worth of state secrets. Aided by his lover Isobel (Glenda Jackson) and hunted by his protege Joe Cutter (Creator/SamWaterston), Kendig skips around the globe as the CIA and KGB race to apprehend him.

This UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era espionage comedy stars Creator/WalterMatthau as Miles Kendig, a CIA field agent who is {{Kicked Upstairs}} after refusing to [[DeadlyEuphemism terminate]] his Soviet counterpart, an affable [[IncrediblyLamePun operator]] named Yaskov (Creator/HerbertLom). [[MeanCharacterNiceActor Ned Beatty]] plays Myerson, the immature bureaucrat who does the kicking — and [[ClusterFBomb screaming]]. Rather than ride a desk for the next few years, Kendig decides to write and publish his memoirs, including thirty years' worth of state secrets. Aided by his lover Isobel (Glenda Jackson) and hunted by his protege Joe Cutter (Creator/SamWaterston), Kendig skips around the globe as the CIA and KGB race to apprehend him.

This UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era espionage comedy stars Creator/WalterMatthau as Miles Kendig, a CIA field agent who is {{Kicked Upstairs}} after refusing to [[DeadlyEuphemism terminate]] his Soviet counterpart, an affable [[IncrediblyLamePun operator]] named Yaskov (Herbert Lom). [[MeanCharacterNiceActor Ned Beatty]] plays Myerson, the immature bureaucrat who does the kicking — and [[ClusterFBomb screaming]]. Rather than ride a desk for the next few years, Kendig decides to write and publish his memoirs, including thirty years' worth of state secrets. Aided by his lover Isobel (Glenda Jackson) and hunted by his protege Joe Cutter (Creator/SamWaterston), Kendig skips around the globe as the CIA and KGB race to apprehend him.

This UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era espionage comedy stars Creator/WalterMatthau as Miles Kendig, a CIA field agent who is {{Kicked Upstairs}} after refusing to [[DeadlyEuphemism terminate]] his Soviet counterpart, an affable [[IncrediblyLamePun operator]] named Yaskov (Herbert Lom). [[MeanCharacterNiceActor Ned Beatty]] plays Myerson, the immature bureaucrat who does the kicking — and [[ClusterFBomb screaming]]. Rather than ride a desk for the next few years, Kendig decides to write and publish his memoirs, including thirty years' worth of state secrets. Aided by his lover Isobel (Glenda Jackson) and hunted by his protege Joe Cutter (Sam Waterston), Kendig skips around the globe as the CIA and KGB race to apprehend him.